Galium aparine L.

Cleavers; Sticky Willy; Catchweed Bedstraw

Vine

Annual

Vascular

Cleavers is a native or introduced herbaceous annual in the Madder family (Rubiaceae). Some authorities consider it native only to Europe, northern Africa, and Asia, and introduced in North America. It is possible that the species was introduced on the fur and clothing of people and animals crossing the Bering Land Bridge into North America from Asia during the last Ice Age as well as by colonists arriving from Europe in the 1600’s and 1700’s. In Alabama it can be found throughout the state. Cleavers occurs on roadsides, in forest edges and clearing, along streams, and in other disturbed sites. It is an annual with a tap root. The stems are prostrate or trailing over other vegetation and often form mats. The stems are green in color, angled, with short, stiff, backwards pointing teeth along their margins. The leaves occur in whorls of 6-8 per node. The leaves are sessile, linear to oblanceolate in outline, pubescent, with backwards pointing bristles along their margins. Flowers are produced in open, branched, terminal or axillary cymes. Individual flowers have 4 white petals. The fruit is a dry, globular nutlet with hooked bristles that occurs in pairs. Aparine is derived from Greek and means ‘clinging’ or ‘seizing’.—A. Diamond

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Native FACU (NWPL) G5 (Global Rank)

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